Nesrhtens…..

The allegation that relational flexibility, measured by faster responding on IRAP and smaller difference-scores, predicts higher IQ is put forward by O´Tool and Barnes-Holmes in the latest issue of The Psychological Record.

They base this allegation on research investigating the relationship between responding on IRAP and the intelligence test Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT). This study follow up other research in this field (ex. O´Hara), and support the notion that derived relational responding is important for human cognition and human intelligence.

The most interesting is how it gives an behavior analytic understanding of human intelligence, and therefore possible to design effective and data-based educational intervention targeting intelligence. As this research evolves it should have great impact on education both in general education and special education.

Murphy and Barnes-Holmes has or are doing i research program to investigate the establishing of derived Manding. And in this program they have published another article in The Psychological Record where they establish derived manding for specific amounts.

This article contribute to the important work demonstrating procedures to establish derived manding, and thus derived relational responding, with different populations. This study has participants that are normally developed and language delayed, previous studies has included children with autism.

The article both give evidence for the establishing of derived manding, and also points out how the results could be utilized in practical application. It´s something that makes this article even more interesting to read, and this is an example who more authors should follow!

I´ve been reading the article “The Role of Verbal Behavior, Stimulus Nameability, And Familiarity on the Equivalences of Autistic and Normally Developing Children” published by Jennifer O´Connor, Aoife Rafferty, Dermot Barnes-Holmes and Yvonne Barnes-Holmes in The Psychological Record, 2009 no 59 with great interest as stimulus equivalence, relational frame theory is one of my primary professional interests, and I specially interested in research in this area involving persons with ASD.

This study has investigated the influence of verbal capabilities of participants on the emergence of equivalence. And this study supports previous results by other researchers, that equivalence performance is related to levels of verbal behavior. Interesting is the classification used in this study. They apply the classification from the CABAS framework. Divided into; Listener/Prespeaker, Speaker/Prereader, Speaker/Reader, and Reader/Writer (Greer and Ross, 2007). I have never seen this classification used in this kind of research, and find it useful that they use an already much used classification based on the analysis of verbal behavior. It would be a great step forward for research in this area if several studies could use the same classification. But I do raise some questions regarding the description of ASD who is divided into Mild and Moderate without further information, but as this is not included in the discussion of results, it probably does not matter.

The study discuss the results in terms of the theory of naming facilitating equivalence and the position of RFT, stating that MTS and exemplar training facilitate the emergence of equivalence. The data gathered in this study can not support one over the other, but as the article states “the findings are consistent with existing empirical evidence that demonstrates the utility of exemplar training int the facilitation or establishment of derived relations as equivalence.”

The data indicate that the familiarity of stimuli correlated with rapid training and test performance, and that children who failed the equivalence test with unfamiliar stimuli passed the test with familiar stimuli. So, this study support the notion that familiar stimuli facilitate the production of equivalence. The data indicate this both with the normally developing children and the children with ASD.

This study included an antecedent, actually “goes with…”. And the data shows that this antecedent influenced the responding. This could as far as I see it, give the study a bias toward also testing the children’s listener-reportoar, and this may influence the data showing trails needed to achieve equivalence. It would be useful if some research could be done to investigate the impact such an antecedent has on performance.

I really appreciate the good and accurate description of the phases in the experiment. It´s really great to se that one describe the procedures in such a manner that one easier can evaluate the results, and doing it possible for others to replicate the experiment!

Happy reading!

To day I received notice that a new number of the journal The Psychological Record has been published. I find this a journal often publish good articles, specially related to stimulus equivalence and derived relational responding, also in this number. And I really looking forward to read these artickles:

• O´Connor et al. The Role of Verbal Behavior, Stimulus Nameability, and Familiarity on the Equivalence Performance of Autistic and Normally-Developing Children
• Myrphy and Barnes-Holmes. Establishing Derived Manding for Specific Amounts with Three Children….
• McVeight and Keenan. Multiple Functions in Equivalence Classes; and
• O´Toole and Barnes-Holmes. Three Chronometric Indices of Relational Responding as Predictors of Performance on a Brief Intelligence Test….

So, as I´m home from work to day, I´ll have some great reading….

I found the web-site HealingThresholds.com, and I don´t know why I has not earlier found it, but now I have.

This is an site that “was created to connect parents to autism therapy information as quickly and efficiently as possible.” And by reading through several pages on their site, it seems like a good site. The information given is easy to understand, but seems accurate. And I really like their emphasize on the use of science in autism treatment.

A site to recommend. I have put a link on the left side to their site.